The woman's neighbor, Todd Shepard, says he heard the sound of breaking glass and screams, and saw Rowland's truck outside. He then called 9-1-1, and rushed over to the apartment to help.

"I saw her covered in blood, I got her to lay down, and got a towel from the kitchen," Shepard, a former paramedic and nurse technician said.

"I applied pressure with my right hand on the chest wound. We got the bleeding to stop," Shepard said.

Shepard says Durbin's nine year old son was in the room.

"The first thing I did was check him, too, to see if there was anything because he had made threats before that he was going to kill both of them and their dog," Shepard said.

Shepard says he saw Rowland leave the apartment, with something in his hand. He says Rowland had moved out last Thursday.

"She wanted him out. He had made threats to the boy in the past, he had made threats to her in the past. She's been trying to get rid of him for sometime," Shepard said.

Rowland is charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and home invasion. He's being held on $200,000 bond in the Rock Island County Jail. He is an ex-con with a felony record for criminal sexual abuse.

Shepard says he knew something wasn't right when he saw Rowland's truck parked outside the apartment. He says his heart goes out to Durbin and her son.

"What he witnessed happened to his mother, he'll have this memory forever. Apparently, she was going to the court system today to seek an order of protection. At least everybody's still here to see Christmas. It could have been much worse.''